We hear the dire warnings on a monthly basis. "Jazz is dead!" "Opera has no future!" Most of the time we ignore them. But when one of the world's foremost ballet historians claims the art form is in its death throes, we can't help but pay attention.

The New England Foundation for the Arts's National Dance Project recently received a multi-million dollar grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Given the project's reach, its formidable coffers, and the fact that it's one of the few reliable sources for dance funding left in the U.S., dance organizations and performers may want to calibrate their fundraising efforts and program offerings accordingly.